Viking New Year
by darkdaylight
Summary: When all of Berk suddenly behaves very strange because of some unknown traditions, then there is at least one confused dragon who wants an explanation for all this!


I could not find anything on the internet considering Viking New Year (if anybody has useful information, I would gladly use them for next year!) and thus concentrated on what I could find about Celtish rites to this matter. When the Vikings have been to Greenland, why not to Scottland? I have to admit that also the information I found about Celtish New Year on the Internet might not be too correct, so no flames please if anyone is smarter than me considering this.

Disclaimer: I don't own How to Train your Dragon or the characters.

-SKIP-

Viking's New Year

Toothless was not sure whether he should just be confused or also a bit amused by what the humans were doing.

Last night, the Vikings of Berk had gathered together in two groups – one for the men and one for the women. He had been very upset when Hiccup told him that no dragons were allowed to attend – no matter that Vikings and dragons were supposed to be friends now.

All the humans behaved mysteriously – and they seemed quite happy with it. It was as if they were feeling very good, behaving like that. As if they felt special. All the girls and women giggled on their way to the female gathering – even Astrid, of whom he had thought she might have a more manly than girly spirit.

And the men were behaving… quite quiet, which was most propably the biggest surprise. It was as if they felt awed by some kind of magical pressure.

Still, he was not allowed to attend and was thus not able to understand anything or to feel a bit of this special mode.

So he spent a boring night all on his own greatly disappointed in his rider who returned with his father late in the morning and got to bed directly afterwards. Hiccup did not even mind when Toothless shot him a rather hurt look – wanting to make it obvious he felt deeply neglected. Hiccup meanwhile just wished him a good night and went to sleep immediately. He smelled slightly of alcohol. Toothless just huffed a bit before going to sleep himself quite offended.

The next morning, he woke up because of some terrible noise in the streets of the village.

The Vikings were back to there old behavior – but somehow, they were worse. All of Berk was on the streets singing, laughing and most importantly drinking mead as if there would be no tomorrow. Even for the Vikings, that all seemed a bit… much. Especially after just rising.

Not all of Berk was indulging in this folly, though. Hiccup was sitting on the wooden window sill of his room and staring out in the streets with a kind of look on his face which told Toothless that the boy was very much embarrassed with his relatives.

When Hiccup remarked the look on Toothless face, he grinned blushing – most likely feeling even more embarrassed. "I'm sorry you couldn't accompany me last night, Toothless. You know, that's kind of a… well, a tradition we picked up on one of our journeys many, many years ago."

The Night Fury leaned his head to one side, feeling not much smarter about this whole business than before. Hiccup smiled and patted him on his snout. "Alright, I'll tell you, but give me a sign when my story bores you!"

He sat down on his bed and the dragon crawled closer to him to listen and learn. So the young Viking started his narration: "My grandfather's grandfather once started a journey to find new… hunting and marauding grounds, I think. Anyway, when they left the Northern Isles which are inhabited by all different kinds of Viking tribes and left for the great open sea, they got into a storm. He and his crew weren't able to control their own course – got them into a terribly foul mood."

The boy sighed and Toothless just thought that Vikings did not seem to have changed much over the generations. Then, Hiccup recommenced.

"When the storm cleared, they bumped into land. The storm had carried them south and when they entered the new big isle they had landed on, they encountered her inhabitants – and immediately attacked them.

But actually, the new people they encountered were very much like Vikings. Rough, wild, strong, hairy – no easy prey and not easy to plunder. So the fight went on and on – it seemed that thoose people did not mind the unexpected and unreasonable match one bit. At the end it was more like a play for all of them and they laughed when they all fell to the ground too tired to stand any longer. Well, nobody died or was even seriously hurt."

Toothless felt even more confused, but he had already learnt that he would never quite understand all the ways and moods of the Viking folk in general. But fighting for no reason, enjoying this and then becoming friends was just not dragonic.

"So, they then talked to each other – over one or two tumblers of mead, of course – and learnt that they had a few hobbies in common: fighting, crazy sports events for mighty men and well, mead. They enjoyed each others company for a month or so, for the Viking-like islanders who called themselves Celts were good hosts. Also, the Vikings knew that their wives would get along without them perfectly. Furthermore, they weren't too keen on hearing what their wives would say when they would return without treasures."

Now that was totally clear for a dragon. Female dragons could also get quite moody when they were not soothed with little presents from time to time. Although he had to admit that it had been some time since he had tried to court – or even met – a female Night Fury, so he was not up to date on the best gifts for females anyway. For this was a theme which was giving him headaches, he rather concentrated on Hiccup's story once again.

"Then, when the shortest day of the year arrived, everyone was getting in quite a mysterious mood. It all had to do with a Celtic tradition: They all gathered around a man they called druid and then they all gathered and… well then the stories kind of mix with those about the incarnation of witches and stuff like that. Well, it was obvious that our Viking ancestors did not understand this tradition one bit."

Toothless snorted. Great, those Vikings were really nuts, why adopt a tradition one does not understand? But before he could even really start wondering about Viking habits more, Hiccup tried to clear his thoughts.

"But they adopted this rite nevertheless. They just changed it a bit. So, every year, during the longest night of the year, the Viking women gather together and the younger ones are being prepared by the older ones for some… women things… and marriage… I think. I don't really want to know. That's why we split up! And we men gather together and well… the elder ones tell us about battles on sea and stuff like that… to help us get wiser. Well, most of us listen carefully for we never want to loose a fight. At the end, every one has to drink a tumbler of mead and then we go home. That's it. It's the most silent night I can spent with the other men in this village, so I'm always glad to attend this meeting."

Toothless nodded. Even if he did not understand why the elder men could not tell their stories whenever they wanted. Well, maybe the younger Vikings would not listen then.

"Our ancestors adopted all of this because of a totally different reason anyway. For after this quiet night, there followed the "rough nights". So, for twelve nights – and most of the day time, also – everybody will drink and behave foolish and then will be a new year. What a feast! How Vikingish!"

Hiccup added the last two phrases a bit sarcastically and then shrugged. Toothless also thought that this was just like Berk and that he should not have been surprised this morning.

"Well, thanks to the celts, we now know time periods called "year" and we also celebrate them adequately. You just wait until spring comes… then we collect old stools and other old woodmade things like that and burn them down to get rid off bad spirits from the old year. Maybe they let you dragons light the fire this year!"

Toothless snorted. Burning spirits away… Those Vikings could not get any weirder, really! But Hiccup's next words proved that they could:

"Oh, these Celts also told our ancestors about another tribe who lived on the land across the sea close to them, the Gauls. They said there existed a man, a druid, who made a potion which could make his folk invincible – said they even beat the Romans multiple times!* My ancestors also wanted to steal this potion, but they got into trouble with the Romans while trying it and well, we Vikings are invincible already anyway, aren't we?"

He sighed. "Anyhow, if you're still troubled for being left alone last night, why don't you dragons gather together next year also?"

Toothless snorted. Sometimes Hiccup had really strange ideas, too, just like other Vikings. Why would dragons need to gather together? All races, on top of that? No, there surely was no need for that.

Then Astrid knocked at the door, telling Hiccup that he might as well attend the feast being the heir to the Clan of Berk. The boy rose sighing and patted Toothless head.

"Well, see you later my friend. In twelve nights, all is normal again and then we'll all just say happy new year and get back to work!"

-SKIP-

Happy new year to all of you!

*Does anybody know the French comic on which this story is based?


End file.
